Solace
by yuffiechan93
Summary: Rukia ran away. Ichigo is worried. Will he ever find her? Ichiruki Lovu Lovu!


This is my second fanfic I ever did, but my first for Bleach. Enjoy! I'm still an amateur, so comments would be helpful. Plus, ingnore if there are grammar errors, cuz English is my 2nd language. =)

There he was. Lying on his bed, hopeless and eyes covered

with pain and fear. His body covered in white, long

bandages. Rukia sat next to him, watching as he moves

constantly trying to fight away the pain. He did what he had

to do. He saved Karakura Town from destruction. He defeated

Aizen. He used all of his reatsu to protect both Soul

Society and the real world. But now, Rukia can't help but to

think that what he had done to deserve all of this.

"Please...Please, stop..." Ichigo mumbled in his sleep.

"....I couldn't help but watching him suffer. I wished I'd

replace myself for him. Without even noticing, a shed of

tear started to drop on his cheek. No, it's not his. It's

mine. I shed a pearl on his cheek. But somehow, I couldn't

wipe it. I can't bear to eliminate it. I never had this

feeling about Ichigo before. This strange feeling...Could it

be...No. I'm such a fool. There's no way I could have that

feeling over Ichigo...." Rukia thought.

____________________________________________________________

The next morning, Ichigo woke up. He saw Rukia sleeping on

the floor with her yesterday's clothes on. Ichigo felt

weird. Why didn't Rukia sleep in his closet as always? Maybe

she fell asleep on the floor? Ichigo made a conclusion.

"Onee-chan! Breakfast is ready!" Yuzu shouted.

"Ahh, my body..." Ichigo whispered to himself.

"....It hurts. It still hurts a lot. Eventhough it's all

over, it looks like the pain is still with me. I gotta wear

my clothes so that Yuzu, Karin and dad will act as nothing

had happened. Ahh, I gotta wake Rukia up. She's been

sleeping like a log...." Ichigo thought.

"Hey, Rukia, wake up already...It's 8 in the morning. Yuzu

already made breakfast." Ichigo said to Rukia.

"...Huh...Yeah...I'll go down later...zZzZz.."

"Suit yourself."

Ichigo walked down the stairs slowly, as his wounds were

not properly healed yet at that time. He tried to act as

usual so that his family will treat him like usual too.

"Onee-chan! You look pale today! Why???" Yuzu shouted.

"Yeah, Ichi. You look different today." Karin said.

"My son! Why are you so sad today! To cheer you up, here's

my flying super awesome frenzy ki--" Isshin said to Ichigo.

Ichigo kicked his dad right on his face.

"Now that's my son! Ahh..."

"I'm going to bed. Call me when dinner's ready."

"Onee-chan, you haven't eaten your breakfast yet!

Onee-chan!" Yuzu shouted once more.

"Yeah, way to go, dad. Way to go." Karin said.

Ichigo went upstairs to his room. He lay his head on his

pillow, trying to figure out something in his mind.

"....What am I going to do now. I'm still a Substitute

Shinigami. And there are still Hollows to be killed. Aizen

is gone. But Hueco Mundo is still there. Ah, I should get

some rest. It's Sunday. Maybe I should dooze a little

more...." Ichigo thought.

"Hey, Rukia, can you get me some Coke in the fridge.."

"Hey, Rukia, come on, don't be such a lazy ass, get me..."

"Rukia? HEY RUKIA! ARE YOU DEAF???"

Ichigo opened his closet. Rukia's not there. He try to

search for Rukia. He went to Yuzu and Karin's room, but

she's not there either.

"Kon! Where's Rukia?"

"Oh Ichigo. You're good at treating women, aren't you? I

think Nee-san ran away!" Kon screaming at Ichigo.

"Don't be an idiot! Why would Rukia want to run away all of

a sudden??"

"You still haven't got a clue after all this time? Poor

Nee-san! Bad Ichigo! Bad Ichigo!"

Without hesitation, Ichigo stepped on Kon's soft, plushie body.

"Ow! Ow! Alright! Alriiiight!! Look over there! She left

you a note!" Kon trembled in pain.

"A note...?"

Ichigo quickly went to his study desk and grabbed the note

that Rukia had left him.

'Ichigo, I'll be in Sereitei for a moment to meet Renji and

Rangiku-san. Don't look for me. - Rukia. '

"...Sereitei? Why now? Why did she left me? She always ask

me to come with her whenever she go somewhere, even in Soul

Society..." Ichigo thought.

"Hey Kon, take care of my body for a while. I'm going to

meet Uruhara for a moment."

"Me? In this ugly body of yours? Again? I don't th--"

Ichigo choke Kon.

"Alright! Alright! At least I could meet Orihime-san and hug--"

This time, Ichigo choke him harder.

"I understand, Ichi...Ah..."

____________________________________________________________

Without a moment to waste, Ichigo transformed into a

Shinigami and went to the Uruhara Shop. Fortunately, Uruhara

was there, lying on the tatami floor fanning himself while

Tessai was sweeping the floor.

"Hey, Uruhara! I gotta go to Sereitei for a moment! Open

the Senkai gate for me!" Ichigo shouted.

"May I know why..?"

"It's a long story!"

"Sorry. I can't let you pass the Senkai gate without first

knowing your motive. It's a rule." Uruhara said.

"I...I think Rukia's up to something."

"Rukia? Something? I thought she was with you. Well, you

even sleep with the same room with her."

"Hey! Don't get the wrong idea! I...don't know...She left a

note saying that she's going to Soul Society to meet Renji

and Rangiku-san, but I think she's lying."

"Alright, alright, but try to hide your reiatsu a little.

Your reaitsu's like a cannonball waiting to be explode."

"Yeah, got it."

Uruhara opened the Senkai gate. A hell butterfly came and

Ichigo went inside the gate. There were two officers

standing by, guarding the gate. Luckily, Ikkaku passed by

and tell the guards to let Ichigo in.

"Ikkaku! Where are you going?" Ichigo screaming to Ikkaku.

"I'm off to see Kenpachi-taichou! See ya!"

"His head is shining brightly today..."

"....Ah! Now's not the time. I gotta go find Rukia. But she

said that she'll meet with Renji and Rangiku-san here. Looks

like I have to go to the 6th Division's place to find

Renji...." Ichigo thought.

____________________________________________________________

Ichigo ran there as fast as he could. There, he found Renji

practicing his Bankai with the squad's taicho, Byakuya

Kuchiki. He felt reluctant to disturb their practice, but

for the sake of Rukia, he ran to Renji.

"Hey Renji!"

"Huh? Ichigo? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Rukia??"

"No, it's been a long time."

"NO? Have you seen her with Rangiku-san???"

"Rangiku is busy finishing loads of paperwork after

Hitsugaya-taicho forced her to do it. It looks like he hid

some of her sa-ke to make her suffer. But they're pretty

busy this month."

"Damn! I knew it...Hey Renji..."

"What?"

"I think Rukia's up to something. She left a note saying

that she want to come here to meet you and Rangiku-san but I

guess that doesn't happen."

"What?? Rukia's gone??? Where??? Taic--"

"Calm down! Don't tell Byakuya about this! I don't know

where she is right now. We gotta find her."

"Okay, we'll start at East Rukongai." Renji replied.

They searched, and searched, and searched. But Rukia was

nowhere to be found. Then, they went to the West, South and

North Rukongai and searched there. Again, Rukia wasn't there

either. Ichigo felt hopeless. He asked himself if he had

done anything wrong to Rukia.

"...Maybe I was too harsh on her? But she doesn't seem to

care about me calling her a midget. Did I hit her? Yeah, I

hit her once when we first met. But she's the one that

always hit me with her ruthless kicks...Rukia...Where are

you?...." Ichigo thought.

____________________________________________________________

"Hey Renji, maybe we should meet Rangiku-san first and ask

her about Rukia." Ichigo said.

"I've already told you, Rangiku is--"

"I know! I just want to make sure..."

"Wakata." Renji said.

Ichigo and Renji went to the 10th Division's place. When

they entered, they met Rangiku in the taicho's headquarters.

Renji's face turned red and his mouth wide open all of a sudden.

"Ra...Ra...Ra...Ngi...Ku..."

"What? Rangiku-san? She's over th--" Ichigo choked for a

moment.

Rangiku were sleeping at that time. But her valley seemed

to be over-exposed. She was drinking 5 bottles of sa-ke

before she passed out. Ichigo's face turned red too.

"I never thought I've seen Rangiku's valley this

close...I...I..."

"Huhh...Hey...Don't be a pervert...Let's just...leave her

alone..."

Ichigo had to grab Renji's hand as he was reluctant to

move. He slapped Renji and they continued to search for

Rukia. They spent hours and hours in Soul Society trying to

find Rukia, but to no avail. At last, they decided to go to

the place where Rukia almost died - the Sogyoku Hill. Renji

and Ichigo swore never to go to that place again as it'll

bring bad memories of the past to life once more. But for

the sake of Rukia, they went there.

"....I promised myself. Renji promised himself. We both

hate this place...." Ichigo thought.

"The Hollow Forest...Are you ready, Ichigo?" Renji said.

"...Yeah. Let's find Rukia."

____________________________________________________________

They moved to the Hollow Forest, passing tree to tree,

shadow to shadow, bearing the sound from crickets singing to

the sound of wolves howling at night.

"Hey Renji, do Rukia keep secrets from you? I mean, as a

friend and all..."

"I think so. Well, at least she told me one. It's about

this person, but I still kept my promise to Rukia. I'll

never revealed it, even if it means death."

"Who's this person?"

"Like I said, can't tell ya. Why are you asking this stuff

anyway?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I think Rukia never actually

tell something about herself to me..."

"You still don't realize it, don't you...?" Renji hinted

something.

"What?"

"Ahh, nothing..."

"....Hmmm. Rukia telling a secret to Renji? That's weird.

But they've known each other since before I was even born.

Besides, they're really close...." Ichigo thought.

"....Ichigo, you're so stupid...." Renji thought.

They continued to search for Rukia. Then, five Menos

appeared right before their eyes. Ichigo and Renji

unsheathed their swords and the battle began.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Houro, Zabimaru!"

The Menos disappeared. They went further into the woods and

they saw what it seemed like a silhouette of a person. They

ran to that direction and they saw the person trying to jump

over a deadly cliff. Renji knew that below the cliff lies

the Menos Nest. As it name suggests, it's the home of

millions of Menos fighting and eating each other's souls.

Even Renji couldn't survive fighting a million Menos.

"Wait! Don't jump! Hey!" Renji screamed.

"....Huh? Rukia? Is that you?...." Ichigo thought.

Ichigo used shunpo and managed to catch the person just

before she fell off the cliff. Ichigo and Renji were shocked

and in disbelief. It was Rukia that was falling off the cliff.

"Hey, Rukia! Wake up! Hey! Rukia!" Ichigo shouted.

"Don't shout at her, dumbass! She just passed out! We gotta

send her to the 4th Division care unit! Let Unohana-taichou

take care of her!"

"....." Ichigo just silenced himself.

____________________________________________________________

Ichigo carried Rukia in his arms to the 4th Division's

place. Ichigo run as fast as he could as all he could

ever think was about Rukia. They managed to get there in time.

"Her body is very weak. The Menos seemed to damage her

reiatsu a little. It also looks like she used kiddo to

hide her reiatsu as well. But the Menos managed to sense her

reiatsu. That's why you couldn't detect hers at the

first place. Maybe she's hiding something, but I can't put

my nose on somebody else's business. Make sure she gets

plenty of rest. Don't push her too much."

"Arigato, Unohana-taichou." Renji said.

"Arigato, Unohana-san." Ichigo said.

"....What is she hiding? Why can't she tell me what's

bothering her mind? Why can't she tell me her secret? Why

Rukia? Why? Why now?...." Ichigo thought.

"Ichigo, can you please leave me with Rukia for a

moment..." Renji said.

"No! I'm not leaving her ever again!" Ichigo screamed.

"Please...Just for a moment...Ichigo."

"Tchht....Fine."

Ichigo opened and closed the door. He sat on the chair

outside the room, waiting for Renji to be done with. Inside

the room, Renji held Rukia's hand and whispered something to

her ears.

"Rukia, I know that I'm not suppose to break this promise,

but if you decided to leave Soul Society today, tomorrow or

in the future without saying a word to me or Ichigo, then

I'll have to break that promise."

Renji stood up and went outside the room. There, he stood

by Ichigo.

"Hey, take care of Rukia for me." Renji said.

"Where you goin?" Ichigo asked.

"I gotta go back to the 6th Division's place. Got some

work to do. Oh, and one more thing, don't you ever take your

eyes off of Rukia."

"Fine with me."

___________________________________________________________

Ichigo entered the room again and sat on a chair beside

Rukia. He glared at Rukia, watching her lying on the sick

bed. Ichigo's face turned gloomy, as he was thinking about

Rukia - and himself.

"....Damn it. I should have known that this would happen. I

vowed to protect anyone that's close to me, but I failed. I

failed to protect my mother, and now, I failed to protect

the one's that giving me strength all this time...." Ichigo

thought.

"Ahh...Hah..." Rukia started to wake up.

"Rukia? Rukia? Rukia..."

"...Ichi...Go...I'm...sor..ry..."

"Don't say anything. Just rest."

"...Can you...hold...my...hand..."

"Huh...Rukia...Sure.."

Ichigo held Rukia's hand as Rukia fell asleep. Soon, Ichigo

fell asleep too as they both were tired. The next morning,

Renji decided to visit Rukia.

"Hey dumbass, wake up already." Renji said.

"Huh...Oh yeah...Hey Renji, I gotta go now, I got school

today and I can't miss it...So, it's your turn to take care

of her..." Ichigo said.

"Sure. Just go."

"Thanks, Renji."

Ichigo went to the Senkai gate and returned to the real

world. When he arrived at his home, he returned to his

normal body again and put Kon's soul to his plushie.

"Ichigo! did you find Nee-san??" Kon asked.

"She's resting in Seireitei."

"Ichigo you fool! Why did you hurt Nee-sa-"

"Shut up, Kon. I don't want to hear anything. I'm going to

school."

"Ichi...go..." Kon watched a gloomy Ichigo.

Ichigo put on his school uniform and went downstairs.

"Onee-chan! Where are you going? You haven't eaten your

breakfast yet! Onee-chan!" Yuzu shouted.

"Just leave him alone, Yuzu. He's...just feeling moody

today. That's all." Karin stared at Ichigo as he walks by.

"Again, Onee-chan? You even skipped dinner last

night...Onee-chan..." Yuzu worried.

Ichigo then walked to school. When he entered his class, he

quickly sat on his chair without even saying hi to Chad,

Inoue, Uryu and Keigo. Inoue came to his table and greet him.

"Korusaki-kun! How are you feeling today??" Inoue said.

"Ah, Inoue. I'm fine, thanks..."

Inoue can sensed that Ichigo's not feeling happy that day.

Maybe something was bothering him. In an effort to cheer him

up, Inoue tried to start a chat with him.

"Ano, Kurosaki-kun, Don't you think that the weather is --"

"Inoue, I don't mean to break your feelings, but can you

please leave me alone for today...Just today...I don't want

to involve with anyone today..."

"Kurosaki-kun..."

When school was over, Ichigo went to the lake that had

taken her mother's life. The place where Grand Fisher killed

his mother. He stayed there for a while, to remember the

past for a moment. After that, he went to the Uruhara Shop.

There, he was shocked to see Inoue, Uryu and Chad sitting on

the tatami floor.

"....What? Uryu? Inoue? Chad? What are they doing

here?...." Ichigo thought.

"Hey Kurosaki, we all decided to meet Uruhara-san to use

the Senkai gate." Uryu said.

"What for..?"

"To visit Rukia." Chad said.

"....They know about it? How?? Only me and Renji knew about

it..." Ichigo thought.

"Ichigo. No need to hide. Renji came here last night and

told us all about it." Uruhara said.

"Us? You mean that all of you were here...last night?"

Ichigo said.

"Kurosaki-kun, we don't want you to suffer all of this on

your own...Rukia-san is our friend too...The reason why we

came here is to help her..." Inoue said.

"Inoue...Arigatou." Ichigo bowed down.

____________________________________________________________

After a brief moment, Ichigo uses his Shinigami

Representative Badge to turn into a Shinigami. The, he and

the others went to Soul Society through the Senkai gate.

They managed to pass through the guards with the help of

Rangiku and Renji, who were well aware of their presence at

that time. Then, all of them went to the 4th Division's care

unit, where Rukia was one of the patients. Rukia was staring

at the window while holding a cup at the moment, not knowing

that Ichigo and others were on their way to pay her a visit.

"....Ichigo...I'm sorry that I ran away....I could never

forgive myself about what had happened...." Rukia thought.

Without notice, tears began to ran down her face.

"Hey Rukia! How are you--" Ichigo stopped.

Ichigo watched as tears began to roll down on Rukia's

cheeks. Inoue, Chad, Uryu, Rangiku and Renji were there,

too. They saw Rukia crying. Rukia looked at Ichigo and

immediately she wiped her tears with her hands.

"Hey! You guys! You didn't tell me that you all were coming

here..." Rukia said.

"It's ok, Rukia-san! We're here to cheer you up! Here, I

bought some lettuce and carrot-infused chocolate cake for

you!" Inoue said, happily.

"Thanks, Inoue..."

"Hey Rukia-san, you should get some rest and try to stay

away from harm. We're here because we care about you,

remeber?" Uryu said.

Ichigo and the others smiled as Rukia began to cry. But

this time, she cried because she was happy. Those were her

tears of joy. They chatted and have fun until it was

nightime. Uryu and Chad told Rukia that they have to leave

early as they have school the next day. But Ichigo and Inoue

decided to stay for awhile to accompany Rukia just a little

bit more.

"Hey Ichigo, I have to meet Kuchiki-taichou for a moment.

I'll be right back." Renji said.

"Yeah, alright." Ichigo said.

"Kurosaki-kun, I'll be outside with Rangiku-san for a

moment..."

"Ok, Inoue."

Soon, there were only Ichigo and Rukia in the room. Just

the two of them.

"So, Ichigo, you--"

"Just cut the crap. Rukia, why did you lied to me and the

others? Why did you try to jump off that cliff?"

Inoue and Rangiku were busy talking about their lives when

Inoue started to stop talking and put her ears on the wall

to hear Rukia's and Ichigo's conversation. Rangiku also did

the same thing. They were eavesdropping their big talk.

"...I...I was..." Rukia trembled.

"Why did you try to do a stupid thing? You know I can't

afford to lose another person in my life right now..."

"Ichi...go...I...I...I was trying to kill myself..."

"Kill yourself?? Why???" Ichigo screamed.

"It's....It's because I can't afford to get into other

people's ways..."

"Other people's ways? What are you talking about, Rukia??"

"I...I...I know that Inoue likes you, Ichigo...I just knew

it..." Rukia lowered her voice.

Inoue's face started to change. Her face turned from

anxious to pale. Rangiku also heard the conversation. It was

no mistake. Rukia just told Ichigo that Inoue's into him.

"Ra...Ran...Rangiku-san...Please forgive me..." Inoue's

voice shriveled.

"Ah, Inoue!" Rangiku shouted.

Inoue ran as fast as she could as tears began to roll down

her cheeks. She ran to the Senkai gate all by herself. When

she appeared in the Uruhara shop, she stopped crying and

passed out there. Looks like she was having an emotional

breakdown.

"....Inoue-san? Inoue-san??" Uruhara began to worry.

"Tessai, take her to the guest room. It looks like she just

fainted."

"Yes, boss." Tessai said.

____________________________________________________________

"What? Inoue....Inoue Orihime? Rukia, you're not serious

are you?" Ichigo said in disbelief.

"It's true, Ichigo...Before she went to Hueco Mundo under

Aizen's command, she wore a bracelet that Ulquiorra gave to

her. That bracelet can hide her reiatsu even in the form of

a human, making her invisible to human senses, but not

Shinigami senses. It was nightime..."

"Stop it, Rukia! Don't lie again...!" Ichigo shouted in anger.

"No! I'm not lying! When it was nightime, I was on my way

upstairs to visit you, and when I opened the door a little,

I saw her talking to you...She started to hold your right

hand, and..."

"And...Rukia...?"

"And...she tried to kiss you, Ichigo...but she couldn't

because of...me..."

"Because of you...why..."

"She said that she's jealous of me...How I'm able to cheer

you up in just a short amount of time, how I'm always by

your side even when fighting Hollows..." Rukia started to cry.

"Rukia...I...I...don't know what to say..."

"Can you see it, Ichigo! I'm just a good-for-nothing

person! Because of me, Inoue's life has turned upside

down...She likes you the moment she met you when her brother

died at your clinic..."

"Rukia...This is insane. Pure insane. I gotta go." Ichigo said.

"Wait! Ichigo!" Rukia screamed, trying to make Ichigo

believe her words.

Ichigo opened the door and looked at Rangiku.

"Where's Inoue?"

"She just left...Back to the real world..." A shocked

Rangiku said.

Ichigo quickly ran to the Senkai gate, hoping to ran into

Inoue and explain everything to her. In the meantime,

Rangiku watched as Rukia cried and cried continuesly.

"It wasn't your fault, Rukia..." Rangiku said, trying to

calm Rukia down.

"Yes! It's all because of me! I destroyed Inoue's hopes and

dreams...I should have known better, Rangiku-san..."

"Hush hush, dear...How about you go to rest...Tonight, I'll

take care of you..."

"Ra...ngi...ku-san..." Rukia continue to sob.

Before Rukia fell asleep, she whispered something to Rangiku.

"I...I...I actually like him. But Inoue's feelings for him

are much more important than my own feelings. Inoue is such

a nice person. I would never wanted to hurt her in the first

place. But...but...I like him too..."

"...Rukia..." Rangiku looked at her as she fell asleep

afterwards.

__________________________________________________

Ichigo managed to get through the Senkai gate and arrived

at the Uruhara Shop. There, he met Jinta and Ururu.

"Where's Uruhara??" Ichigo asked.

"He's at the back, orange-head." Jinta said.

"Be careful, Kurosaki-kun. We got a guest..." Ururu added.

Ichigo went to the back room and he opened the door. There,

he was shocked to see Inoue lying on the futon, and

Uruhara watches as Tessai tried to heal her.

"Why is Inoue here, Uruhara-san?? Did she passed out??"

Ichigo started to worry.

"Ah, Ichigo. You come to the right place. How was

Rukia-san?" Uruhara muttered.

"Rukia...She's fine..." Ichigo's face started to change.

"Good to hear. Well, Inoue-san fainted a while ago and it

appears like she's having a high fever. It's okay, our

Tessai here is trying to heal her. She'll have to spend the

night here in order to recover."

"Huh...Uruhara-san...can I stay here for a moment..."

"Sure. But don't you have school tomorrow, Ichigo?"

"I...I wanted to say something to her...in private..."

"Ah...Wakata. Well, as long as you're OK. But make sure not

to wake her up. She needs rest."

After half an hour, Tessai managed to heal Inoue. Uruhara

and Tessai went out of the room and shut the door. Ichigo

sat beside Inoue. He looked at Inoue, lying unconcious on

the futon.

"...Inoue...I know that you can't hear me right

now...but...Gomenasai...Rukia just told everything about you

to me a while ago...I'm...I'm sorry, Inoue...I can't...I

can't project the feelings that you have for me right back

at you...Again...Gomen, Inoue..."

Ichigo stood up and went back to his normal self. After

that, he left the Uruhara Shop. He went back to

his house, walking upstairs to his room. There, Ichigo laid

back on his bed, trying to shut his eyes, trying to forget

everything that had happened for the past few days, but...to

no avail. He remembered what Rukia had said to him.

"....Rukia...I've hurt Rukia's feelings...And Inoue's...Why

is this happening...to me..." Ichigo thought.

The next day, Ichigo woke up, getting ready for school as

usual. He opened the window to get some fresh air. As he was

putting on his school uniform, Renji suddenly came through

the window and shocked Ichigo.

"Re...Re...Renji! Why the hell are you here??????" Ichigo

shouted.

"Rukia...Rukia disappeared again!!" Renji became anxious.

"Disappeared?? Rukia?? How??"

"She left the 4th Division's care unit while Rangiku was

sleeping. I can't detect her reiatsu, neither does Rangiku."

"But...but I have school right now! What am I suppo--"

"Cut the crap, Ichigo! What's more important?? Rukia's life

or your life???!?" Renji intervined.

"......Ikkuzoh."

____________________________________________________________

"Ahh...My head...Where is this..."

"Ah, Inoue-san. Looks like you've finally woken up."

"U...Uruhara-san...I'm sorry, looks like I fell asleep here..."

"No need to worry, Inoue-san. Why don't stay here for

awhile? At least drink a cup of tea for a moment to lighten

up your day."

"Oh no Uruhara-san! I shouldn't be disturbing you right

now! Gomenasai! I should go now...!" Inoue said in a

panicking voice.

"Uhh, wait, Inoue-san..." Uruhara stopped.

Inoue ran out from the shop and went to her apartment.

There, she quickly put on her school uniform and hurried

herself to school. When she arrived at her class, it was

already the third period. But luckily, the teacher hasn't

come in yet.

"Ah, Inoue! Why are you late?" Tatsuki asked.

"Tatsuki-chan! Long time no see!" Inoue smiled widely.

Inoue sat on her chair. She gazed on Ichigo's table, seeing

him absent.

"Hey, silly, why are you sad?" Tatsuki said.

"Oh! It's just...nothing..."

"It's because Ichigo's absent, right?"

"No no, Tatsuki-chan! It's because I'm...I'm sick last

night! Yes, that's right! Hahahahaha!"

"....Inoue...of all the boys in this school, why did she

like Ichigo...." Tatsuki thought.

____________________________________________________________

Ichigo arrived at Soul Society with Renji. They decided to

go to the cliff once more to see if Rukia was there.

But, Rukia was not there. Then they searched at Rukongai's

98th District to see if she was there. But they couldn't

find her here too. They decided to take a rest for a while

before continuing their search for Rukia.

"Ichigo, there's something...I wanna tell you..." Renji said.

"What?"

"Remember that secret? I promised to Rukia that if she went

missing again without saying a word to me, then I have to

tell you the secret."

"...The secret?" Ichigo looked at Renji.

"She...she actually likes you, Ichigo..."

"....What?? Rukia too?!??" Ichigo's face turned red.

"She always tells me about you whenever she met me. She

told me that the reason why she acts tough on you is because

she doesn't want to fall in love with you. But she can't

help it. She likes you since the beginning. Even I feel left

out sometimes. I've been with her since we were little.

After our friends died, we promised them that we'll become

Shinigamis. I...I...I love Rukia, Ichigo..."

"You...you...you like Ruk--" Ichigo stopped.

"Yes, I love Rukia since we were kids. But since you came

into our lives, looks like you're more important to her. I

have to love Rukia as a friend, from now on. So I'm asking

you this...please, Ichigo...don't break her heart

anymore..." Renji's face changed.

"...Renji..."

After that, they saw Rukia buying some food from a vendor

not far away.

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji shouted.

"....Renji?!? Ichigo?!? How did yo--" Rukia said, shocked.

"Why did you ran away from your room?? We were worried

about you!" Renji scolded.

"...Renji...I...I decided to stop being a...shinigami..."

"Don't be such a fool, Rukia! We promised to our friends

that we'll become great Shinigamis! And we did! Why would

you want to resign, Rukia?!?"

Rukia went silent for a moment as she looked down.

"...Rukia...If you ever say that again to Renji, then I'll

stop being a Substitute Shinigami too." Ichigo said, in a

low voice.

"...Ichigo..." Rukia started to shed her tears.

"If you're not a Shinigami anymore, Rukia...Then all this

time, I've been fighting with Hollows, Arrancars, Espadas,

and Aizen...just for nothing...I've rescued Inoue, Uryu and

Chad all this time is because of you, Rukia...You're the one

that gave me strength, power, and happiness..."

"...Stop it, Ichigo!" Rukia screamed as she cried harder.

"So I'm asking you this, Rukia..."

Ichigo then hugged Rukia.

"...Don't you ever stop being a Shinigami."

Rukia stood there in Ichigo's arms. She was speechless.

Tears kept flowing from her eyes. She could not help but to

put her arms around Ichigo. Renji watched as the two of them

were hugging.

"....Good job, Ichigo...." Renji thought.

____________________________________________________________

Ichigo and Rukia decided to went back to the real world.

They were at the Kuchiki's Manor. Renji was there too.

"Hey, Renji, wanna go with us? You can freeload at

Uruhara-san's shop again if you want too..."

"Naah, I got tons of work to do. Just go on without me."

"Suit yourself. Bye, Renji."

"Bye, Renji..." Rukia said, with a smile.

They both went back to the real world after Rukia opened

the gate with her zanpaktou. They went back to Ichigo's

house. Rukia decided to sleep in Yuzu and Karin's room,

instead of the usual place, which is his closet. Ichigo went

back to his body and finally, he can actually sleep peacefully.

The next day, they got ready for school. Ichigo put on his

school uniform and went downstairs for breakfast. He saw

Rukia talking with Yuzu cheerfully at the dining table.

"Onee-chan! I made your favourite breakfast today!" Yuzu

said with delight.

"Oh, thanks Yuzu." Ichigo said.

They ate their breakfast and Ichigo stood up as he was

going to the door. Then, Ishiin came with his flying kick.

"Good morning! Ichig--"

Ichigo managed to dodge the attack, sending Ishiin flying

throughout the window.

"Old bastard geezer...Hey, Rukia, are you finished yet?"

"Yeah, thanks for the breakfast, Yuzu-chan! Let's go,

Ichigo." Rukia smiled.

They walked side by side together to school. When they

entered the class, Inoue saw them.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Rukia-san! Ohaiyou!"

"Huh, ohaiyou, Inoue." Ichigo said.

"Ohaiyou, Inoue." Rukia said.

"Rukia-san! How are you now? Are you feeling well? I'm so

worried!" Inoue said.

"Ah, don't worry Inoue...! I'm fine now. Arigato...!" Rukia

cheered up.

"Really? That's great! How about we eat lunch....Oh the

weather is....Ah, Tatsuki-chan!...." Inoue continued to talk

about many things.

"....Inoue...She's trying to cheer me up...Thank

you...Inoue...." Rukia thought.

After school, Ichigo and Rukia went to the lake again.

Ichigo sat by the lake, while Rukia was standing beside him.

Orihime happened to pass by as the two of them were watching

the sunset together. Tears began to roll down Inoue's cheeks.

"....Kurosaki-kun...You like Rukia, don't you,

Kurosaki-kun...I'm happy that you've finally found solace

after all these years..." Inoue thought.

Inoue wiped her tears and smiled. Then, she continued her

walk and watch as the sunset began to fall down slowly.

~THE END.~


End file.
